Hi friends! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and are gearing up for a wonderful start to the New Year! Before the new year is upon us, I wanted to share some of the highlights of the Christmas season!

December started off with one of my favorite annual parties, my sisters "Favorite Things" party! Sarah throws this party every year around Christmas, and it is always such a special time to gather with girlfriends, enjoy a delicious meal, and have a gift exchange full of everyones favorite things!

Next up was my annual gingerbread house party! I love throwing this party every year, and it is always fun to see what everyone comes up with. This year the theme was 'camping'...and we threw in an 'ugly sweater' element which made it even more fun!

Another exciting event that took place in December was that I am finally in my second trimester of pregnancy! Yay!!! Since I hit 14 weeks, I feel so much better, and most of the exhaustion and queasiness is completely behind me! I can even eat most of my favorite healthy dishes again (oh veggies, how I have missed you), and I am not grossed out by my one cup of morning coffee! Woo hoo! I am also feeling a lot better when I work out, and can tell I am getting a lot of my strength and energy back! Yay for the second trimester!!!!

I received some really sweet gifts all through December for my sweet babe from friends in the mail! So many were so thoughtful that they brought me to tears!

The start of my second trimester also brought on a little tiny baby bump! I recently shared my first bump picture on Instagram. I plan to share updates as my pregnancy progresses here so be sure to follow along! I am loving being able to see a sign of life finally coming through on the outside...Now I can't wait until I can feel the baby move!!!

Speaking of babies, I got to meet my new nephew Easton Daniel Yost who was born on December 18th! I was so proud of my younger sister Emily, who endured over 24 hours of all natural labor and childbirth! She was a champ, and he was born a healthy 7 lbs 10 oz! I am soooo in love!!!

And last but not least, Christmas also brought another wonderful gift as far as babies go...We got to find out on Christmas even if we are having a boy or girl!

My sister Sarah is the ultimate party planner (and I am lucky enough to have her as my big sis!) ;) She threw Sean and I the most adorable gender reveal party at her house on Christmas eve. The theme was Buck or Doe...Soon we will know! :)

She completed the dessert bar with a hot chocolate bar filled with touches of "Baby" it's cold outside details! :)

It was so special to be able to share the gender reveal announcement with family and the people that mean the most to us! Sean and I chose to find out the same time as everyone else, which made the surprise extra special!

The big reveal was done by opening a big box that was filled with either red or green balloons, (red being a girl and green being a boy). I have to say, I have never been so nervous with anticipation to open a gift before!

The moment Sean and I opened the box and red balloons came out, we both started crying tears of joy! I would have been so excited and thankful either way, but there was something in me that knew it was a girl...and a large part of that was because years ago, God gave me a name in the middle of the night for my future child, which was Madeline Joy Farrell. This name has been such an anchor of hope for me when I didn't know for sure when or if I would be able to get pregnant. When we found out it was a girl, it was so special, because it was the name Madeline Joy that gave me hope through the hardest parts of my journey, and we finally got to give our child her official name! What JOY she has already brought us, and we haven't even met her yet!

Shortly after the gender reveal, I opened a few presents from family with Madeline's very first outfits! One of my favorites was a onesie from my sister Emily that said, "Mommy's Sous Chef"! I am already dreaming about spending time with Madeline in the kitchen!

Christmas day was so very special this year because it was Gabriel and Easton's first Christmas! We had the best time as a family watching the two little ones together, and celebrating our Savior Jesus Christ!

The days following Christmas have been spent rejoicing over the Lord, and thanking Him for all of the blessings He has poured out upon our family and lives. I can't help but cry tears of joy as I think about His faithfulness, and how He is always true to His word. Through every trial and hard season of life, one this is sure...No one can turn our sorrow into joy like our Heavenly Father!

I pray that each one of you are enjoying this Christmas season, and that you are filled with the TRUE Joy and Peace that only comes from Jesus Christ!

Written by Katie Farrell

Katie's greatest passions are the Lord, family, and ministry. It is Katie’s greatest desire to teach women about their identity in Christ and to inspire them to find a balance between spiritual and physical health, all while enjoying the journey!